But the individual who is forced to create his own public is forced also to make his own special work attractive to a public; and when he succeeds in accomplishing this result without hauling down his personal flag, his work tends to take on a more normal and human character.
It tends, that is, to be socially as well as individually formative.

The peculiarly competent individual is obliged to accept the responsibilities of leadership with its privileges and fruits.

There is no escape from the circle by which he finds himself surrounded.

He cannot obtain the opportunities, the authority, and the independence which he needs for his own individual fulfillment, unless he builds up a following; and he cannot build up a secure personal following without making his peculiar performances appeal to some general human interest.
The larger and more general the interest he can arouse, the more secure and the more remunerative his personal independence becomes.

It by no means necessarily follows that he will increase his following by increasing the excellence of his work, or that he will not frequently find it difficult to keep his following without allowing his work to deteriorate.